DISSIDIA ACADEMY: Final Fantasy
by Z-Nitro
Summary: Another academic year of Dissidia Academy, a school for the gifted and talented (and the unusual) in their own way. But this year, everything will change ... and Class 13A (The heroes of Final Fantasy) will be in the center of it.
1. Chapter 1: Class 13A

Warrior of Light strode through the large, towering gate as it suddenly sprung open just for his welcoming. His long, neat silver hair flowing in the breeze. He kept his chest held high and had a strong grip on his plain yet posh rucksack. He constantly checked his uniform to make sure that every part of his clothing and body had been neat and clean; his dark blue blazer was completely new and spotless, his long-sleeved shirt was as white as pearls with every button done up securely, his dark blue trousers was thoroughly washed and ironed just before he put them on, his dark blue tie was straight and had been neatly tied around the collar of his neck so that it wasn't too loose or too tight, even his smart, jet-black shoes were completely polished for the day just as they were every day since he bought them. Once the final checks were done, he lifted his head and gazed at the large, office-like building that stood out amongst all other buildings in the district. Along its wall held its name in huge capital letters: DISSIDIA ACADEMY. Today was possibly the most important day for Warrior of Light so far in his life; A new year at the Academy was beginning and Warrior of Light had become (in his mind; Crowned) the President of the Academy's council. For this very occasion, he had arrived 2 hours early even though he was supposed to arrive only 15 minutes early. He entered the building with a proud face and began to climb up the staircase towards the top floor. The Academy had 6 floors; the 1st was where the Entrance hall, the Dining hall, the Theatre room and the Reception area had been, the next 3 was for each year group and most of the subjects, the 5th held the Laboratory rooms, the Art rooms and the Tech rooms, and the top floor held the teachers offices, the school council room and the Headmistress' office. For this certain occasion, Warrior of Light had to meet with the Headmistress about his new role of the academy. Finally he reached the top floor; he passed the variety of offices which each had the name of the teacher across the doors, he passed the council room and caught sight of the door for the Headmistress' office.

He knocked.

"Come in." answered a soft, kind voice.

He entered and shut the door cautiously behind him. The room he entered was large and spaced out; with a bookcase on the left which held many different folders, a file cabinet holding information about the academy, a cream sofa on the right for guests, and directly in front was a desk that was as tidy and clean as he had been, this had been accompanied with 2 seats, one situated on either end. Headmistress Cosmos was sitting on her seat peering out of the window behind, watching the clear blue sky. Just glimpsing her figure caused Warrior of Light to skip a heartbeat with admiration. She had been wearing a bright silver blazer and suit that matched perfectly with her long, soft hair and bright eyes. Altogether, she gave out the feeling of warmth and inspiration. She turned her seat back to the desk with elegance and looked up towards Warrior of Light. He bowed to her the moment their eyes caught.

"You must be very keen to arrive at such an early time." Cosmos stated to him cheerfully, checking the digital clock which hung on the wall above the sofa. It read 6:13am.

"My apologies Headmistress; it was better for me to arrive at this time." Warrior of Light replied.

"There's no need for apologies, just don't make a habit of it." Cosmos smiled coolly. "Take a seat."

Warrior of Light did as he was told without any hesitation.

"So, let's begin."

It was now 8:00am and hoards of students came rushing in through the front gates. There were over 1,300 students that attended Dissidia Academy, all with their own dreams and goals to accomplish. Warrior of Light stood beside the gates, making sure there weren't any students misbehaving or acting rebellious in any way. Even though he kept to his duty, he also had things rushing around in his head about his meeting with the Headmistress. Most of it was about his role as the new President of the School Council, which he had been expecting, but there were also topics that struck him by surprise. But now was not the time to worry about such problems. Suddenly he heard a loud commotion going on in the car park. He switched round to see what the commotion was about.

"I'm sorry but you cannot park your Chocobo in the car park." A Member of the Council strictly explained.

"What!? B-but I'm a student here!" Bartz argued back, keeping himself close to his Chocobo, Boko.

Bartz was a student of medium brown hair, slim figure and a laid-back attitude.

"Rules are rules; you need a permit from Reception in order for you to park any vehicle, air-ship or – in this case – Chocobo in the car park!" The Council Member continued.

"Well Boko is staying right here and there's nothing you can do about it! Isn't that right Boko?" Bartz stated proudly, folding his arms and showing a grin.

The Chocobo, Boko, hooted and nodded in agreement.

"The funny thing is; we can. We're aloud to take away the mode of transport if a situation like this arises, and it'll be reported to the Head of the Council." The Council Member explained, taking hold of Boko's reins.

"Huh!? And who would that be!?" Bartz asked out loudly, as though trying to keep the upper hand of the situation.

"That … would be me." A sudden, deep, unimpressed voice answered from behind Bartz.

Bartz switched round abruptly and jumped out of his skin. Warrior of Light had been standing behind him for a while now, listening in silently to the commotion. He had his arms crossed and looked serious as always, his President Badge on his Blazer collar proudly reflecting the Sun's rays.

"Take the Chocobo away, please. I'll sort out this guy." Warrior of Light demanded his fellow council member.

"Right away!" The Council Member nodded, and took away Boko.

"Wait, I beg you, please don't take Boko away!" Bartz worriedly shouted out in desperation.

Boko looked over at Bartz and screeched loudly.

"BOKOOOO!" Bartz cried out tearfully, falling onto his hands and knees.

Warrior of Light gazed down at him, scratching his head and wondering what in the world just happened. He looked around and caught sight of many of the students watching in curiosity, making him feel more awkward. He sighed and kept his cool, kneeling down beside Bartz.

"Listen; go to Reception and ask for a permit, fill in the form and show it to me, then I'll give you your 'beloved' Boko back. But for now, he'll be well cared for in the Academy stables." Warrior of Light explained to him kindly, knowing he has to be fair to everyone … including the idiots.

He caught sight of a nod from the sulking Bartz, and helped him to his feet. With that, he straightened himself up and walked away, feeling relieved that the problem was sorted out without too much hassle. But this had been short-lived as he had to stop due to something shooting past him at an alarming speed, taking him back by surprise.

"There, there Bartz. If ya do what that guy says, I'm sure you'll get Boko back by the end of the day." An upbeat voice comforted Bartz.

Warrior of Light whipped round to see that the thing that shot past him was in fact a student … well, a blonde-haired student with a yellow monkey tail.

"Are you sure about that, Zidane?" Bartz wondered, sniffing.

"I'm positive!" Zidane answered.

Zidane rubbed Bartz on the back with cheerful spirit and began to walk away. But as he was about to leave, Zidane glimpsed back at Warrior of Light and showed an evil grin, patting his pocket. Warrior of Light gazed towards him with confusion. But he then realised instantly. He swiftly looked down at his blazer. His President Badge had been stolen! Now he knew; that was Zidane the thief student within the Academy! He instantly switched back round. Both Zidane and Bartz had suddenly disappeared from sight. Warrior of Light to no time to hesitate and began to swiftly run around the Academy grounds; looking through every window, in every dustbin, past every door and in every room. And yet there was no sign of Zidane. Then, when he reached the fields of the Academy, he heard a load calling-whistle originating from the Academy building. He switched his sight upwards and noticed Zidane had been hanging from a 4th floor window ledge using his tail as grip and holding the badge recklessly.

"Looking for this!?" Zidane called out, laughing cheekily.

"Give that back!" Warrior of Light bellowed back, getting really irritated by his attitude.

"Hmm … Nah!" Zidane refused, giving off a cheeky smile.

With that, Zidane shot away through the open window. Warrior of Light gritted his teeth with frustration and ran back into the building. He jumped up the staircase towards the 4th floor, refusing to stop for any reason. He reached the corridor and instantly examined the area. Suddenly he heard a laugh coming from one of the far end corridors. He leapt into a sprint and sped round every corner and through every corridor towards Zidane's cheeky voice. But this had been short-lived as he suddenly halted to a stop. A man with brown hair, a large scar running across the middle of his face and showing a moody expression in his face had blocked Warrior of Light path. Warrior of Light was hesitant to approach this guy, feeling somewhat intimidated by his appearance. Then this was only to realise that there was no need to be hesitant. The man suddenly held up his right hand, showing off Warrior of Light's 'precious' badge.

"I believe this is yours?" The man spoke with an irritable tone, passing over the badge to its owner.

"Er … Ah! Yes it is! B-but how did you-!?" The Warrior of Light tried to question, having trouble to form words as he was handed the badge.

"I have the most unbearable curse of having to cope with him … AND Bartz every day. Trust me; I know ALL of Zidane's tricks." The man stated, keeping the same tone in his voice as though he was bored out of his mind.

"Well, thank you for your help. May I ask … Who are you?" Warrior of Light curiously asked him.

"Squall." He answered dimly. "And I suggest you keep your distance from the other two, especially as you're in the same homeroom class as us three."

"Right, I'll try my– wait … WHAT!?" Warrior of Light could not believe what he just heard.

Squall sighed and lightly face-palmed, "(I haven't got time for this) … I guess you haven't seen the- What the-? Where'd he go?"

Warrior of Light had suddenly disappeared out of sight in a flash.

Squall shrugged, "Meh, at the end of the day …We're all screwed." He murmured quietly. He turned, put his hands in his pockets and walked away silently like a shadow.

Warrior of Light was charging through the corridors; he still had some energy left in him after the incident with Zidane. He reached the staircase and leapt down every few steps to the bottom; he tried not to trip on his way down or lose his concentration. His mind was racing even faster than his legs were. He had not checked up on the homeroom group table as he felt it had been inappropriate at the time. Yet now he wished he did check-up. He finally reached the bottom of the staircase and instantly ran towards the entrance of the building. Once outside, huffing and panting, he switched his sight to his left and caught sight of the large board towering over the crowd of students. He rushed towards the board and barged his way past the vast crowd to the front. He halted and gazed up at the board: an immense list of names completely filled up the board. The top of the board showed who was in the council and who the head of each Club had been. Then underneath were the homerooms with the class numbers and teachers' names beginning each list. Warrior of Light skimmed through the board until he finally caught his homeroom. He read the list carefully:

Class 13A:

Teacher: Shantotto

Students:

Warrior of Light (Council and Class President)

Firion (Council Member)

Onion Knight (Council Member)

Cecil Harvey

Bartz Klauser

Terra Bransford

Cloud Strife (Head of the Chocobo Racing Committee)

Squall Leonhart

Zidane Tribal

Tidus (Blitzball Captain)

After several checks, realisation finally hit him. Warrior of Light gave out a load, horrid moan; he had been despising the fact that he had been put in the same class with both a troublemaker and a total idiot!

"SWEET! This is great Cloud! All of us have been put in the same class! We have to find Firion and Cecil and tell them!" An excited voice shouted out of behind.

Warrior of Light turned his head round to see two male students standing right behind him: one with light-brown, medium-sized hair who was looking eager and over-excited (Tidus) while the other who had blond, spikey hair seemed to have no expression on his face at all! (Cloud)

"You can go and tell them … I'm getting a coffee." Cloud answered back in a tired, groaning voice.

"Coffee!? Why do you want that!?" Tidus jumped back in a surprised manner.

"(Sigh…) Because, Tidus, you called me at 4am to hurry to the park for a game of Blitzball which went on non-stop for THREE HOURS! Right now I'm shattered and I think I'm going to collapse." Cloud explained to him in frustration, sounding as though he had constantly reminded Tidus of what happened.

"Yeah, but that's no reason to get a coffee. Come on; let's go find Firion and Cecil!" Tidus ushered Cloud towards the Academy building, not realising that coffee would be able to wake Cloud up.

With that, Tidus grabbed the back of Cloud's collar and dragged him out of the large crowd; Cloud's feet dragged on the concrete floor and he gave out a low, quiet groan as he was dragged away out of sight. Warrior of Light turned away and shook his head; he had a feeling that his whole class was a lost cause. He gave one last look at the board with displeasing eyes and then left the crowd.

It was now 8:45am and all the students were entering the Theatre room for the beginning of the academic year assembly. The students sat on whichever chair they wanted to with their friends; this was the ONLY time in the academic year this happened, any other time they would have to sit in their homeroom groups. Warrior of Light was up on stage doing the last minute preparations sorting out the microphone. He knew that the Headmistress was going to call out an announcement that will shock everyone in the whole Academy, because it was the one thing that had caught him out during his meeting earlier. After a few minutes with checks, he was finished with the microphone and slipped swiftly backstage. He noticed Headmistress Cosmos and headed up to her.

"Is everything ready?" She asked him curiously.

"Yes Headmistress." Warrior of Light answered formally.

"I told you many times, just call me Cosmos."

"Sorry Headmiss- I mean, Cosmos."

Cosmos sighed, "I feel the news I have to give to the Academy is going to horribly surprise them."

"I have that feeling too; I know it isn't going to go down too well." Warrior of Light agreed; the sound of the students gossiping and laughing from behind him. "But they're just going to have to endure it."

Cosmos closed her eyes and nodded. She stepped out onto the stage in front of the 1,300 students. Warrior of Light watched her step closer towards the microphone. He and many other students of the Academy admired Headmistress Cosmos and it had been said by many that she had been the best they had at the Academy. Not to mention she had been running the academy for a good 13 years from a staggering young age of 21.

Cosmos held up a hand and the whole room suddenly fell completely silent. She picked up the microphone and began.

"Welcome everyone to a new year at Dissidia Academy, I hope you all had a good holiday." She spoke out to the room.

Many students quietly answered, some nodded and others groaned.

"Well, it's time for all of you now to focus back once again to your work and commitment. Many of you will have a busy year ahead of you and you will need to use this time as preparation for the future. But of course, there will be many activities, clubs, and events throughout the year thankfully. Many new, many changed but all that meet your interests and abilities."

The students hissed "yessss" quietly in excitement.

"There are a few announcements I will be sharing with you before you head on to your homerooms. Firstly, many of you have been asking about what this year's trip is going to be and I can confirm to you that there will be TWO trips this year; one in February where there will be a skiing and snowboarding trip and the other in June, a first for the Academy, a Water-sports trip."

Suddenly, the place went berserk as almost the whole of the students cheered when hearing the announcement. Cosmos put up her hand again calmly and the whole place calmed down again in an instant.

"Yes, I guess you all would be excited to hear that. Next is, of course, the seasonal Academy events dates and times: the Halloween Festival will begin at 7pm on the 31st October and end at 9pm. The Christmas party will begin at 8pm on the last day before the Christmas Holidays which is the 17th December and will end at Midnight. The Spring festival will begin at 3pm on 14th April and will end at 6pm. And the Summer Sports Festival will begin at 1pm on 10th July and will end at 4pm."

The students began to whisper to each other happily.

"Now, the last announcement!" Cosmos called out over the whispers. But then the there was a pause. Students watched her curiously. Cosmos took a deep breath.

"This may become a shock for all of you but I do understand if it doesn't for some of you. On the last day before the Christmas holidays …"

Warrior of Light closed his eyes. Students were anxious, curious and confused by why she was pausing. Then she answered.

"… I will be leaving the Academy."

Then there was a very uncomfortable silence. Cosmos gazed round cautiously. Then everyone suddenly leaped out of their seats.

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"


	2. Chapter 2: A Need For Coffee

Warrior of Light climbed up the staircase towards the 4th floor of the Academy, keeping an elegant posture and a strong walking pace. He made sure he was setting an example for the rest of the Academy. However, his mind was miles away, wondering about why Headmistress Cosmos would be leaving the Academy during the Christmas holidays. She had never explained to him about this during their meeting earlier; whenever Warrior of Light attempted to bring up the subject, Cosmos always changed the topic within the second. Warrior of Light gave out a frustrated sigh, feeling that the Headmistress was hiding many secrets from him and the whole Academy. As he eventually reached the 4th floor, he had been given a sudden startle by Cloud who bolted past like a speeding bullet. Warrior of Light watched him hastily skid round the corner of the corridor and out of sight, the startled expression frozen across Warrior of Light's face. Due to curiosity, Warrior of Light decided to follow him. He followed Cloud's direction and turned curiously round the corner of the corridor. He instantly caught sight of Cloud running up towards the various vending machines near the end, hearing faint sounds of panting and gasping coming from the out of breath Cloud. Cloud hastily reached into his blazer pocket; he seemed to be having trouble getting money out from the pocket, causing his uniform to become suddenly untidy. Warrior of Light could hear him muttering to himself silently but with a hasty tone.

"Come on … come on … just one cup of-"

"CLOUD!" A sudden, loud, energetic voice called out from nowhere.

This caused both Cloud and Warrior of Light to jump out of their skin simultaneously. Warrior of Light caught sight for a mere second of Tidus flying past him towards the shaken up Cloud, who was fiddling with his pockets to find some money as fast as he possibly could.

"What are you doing here? Homeroom is about to start!" Tidus questioned him curiously in high spirits.

"But I-" But before Cloud could even answer, Tidus grasped him tightly on the shoulder and dragged him away from the vending machines.

Cloud didn't even retaliate at all; he just watched hopelessly as the coffee machine gradually moved further and further away from his grasp. Warrior of Light gazed towards the two students as they passed him; Tidus seemed to be in his own little world and Cloud had been too dreary eyed to notice Warrior of Light's presence. Warrior of Light scratched his head with a somewhat saddened expression, feeling sorry for Cloud's despair due to his friend's over eagerness. Warrior of Light then decided to turn round and tread back towards his homeroom. But as he moved coolly round the corner, he suddenly head-on collided into another student. Both fell backwards to the floor in surprise, numerous sheets of paper flew about in the air. Warrior of Light gradually sat himself back up, soothing the back of his neck due to the fact that he hit the floor relatively hard. Opening his eyes painfully, he noticed the other student standing tall above him with a hand offering to help him up. Warrior of Light raised his head to realize that the student was in fact a fellow Council member: Firion. A silver-haired, strong looking man who seems to have some sort of unique passion for working in the Academy, however no one has found out the reason behind this as of yet.

"I'm really sorry about that, Council President; I wasn't watching where I was heading." Firion apologised to him, showing off a sweet, innocent smile.

"Oh, there's no need to apologise. I just didn't see you round the corner." Warrior of Light answered fairly as he accepted Firion's help and rose back up to his feet.

They both began to gather up the sheets of paper that had been spread out all over the floor as a result from the small accident, Warrior of Light guessed they were all Firion's lesson notes.

"I'm guessing you met my two friends a second ago; Cloud and Tidus?" Firion spoke out, collecting up the last sheets.

"Yes, I did." Warrior of Light nodded, remembering the huge difference between Cloud's and Tidus' personality. "I find it interesting how those two have jobs in the Academy community; Cloud being head of the Chocobo Racing Committee and Tidus being the Blitzball Captain."

"Well as the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover; those two are more reliable than you would first imagine." Firion cheerfully began to explain. "Tidus has this huge and unique passion for Blitzball, always practises any chance he gets and many say he is one of the best Captains they have had in the Academy team for a long time. Cloud, on the other hand, has participated in Chocobo racing for quite a long time. He has finished in first place in almost all of the races he's ever participated in."

"Really!? Well, let's hope that they put in as much commitment in their class work as they do on their hobbies." Warrior of Light stated with a chuckle.

"Heh … Don't worry, I'll try my best that they're on top of their work." Firion nodded to him, holding onto his stash of papers. "Anyway, I must get a coffee for Cloud."

"He does seem to be craving one; he was attempting to buy one from the machine before Tidus dragged him away." Warrior of Light pointed out whilst folding his arms, feeling that should be mentioned.

"I guessed that would happen after I passed those two before bumping into you. I guarantee that Cloud would collapse at any moment during homeroom, seeing as he's on that verge of doing so." Firion answered back, fiddling trough his trouser pockets for coins.

"I see … Well I best get to the room otherwise I'll be late." Warrior of Light concluded, just noticing the time. "I'll see you there."

Firion waved to him cheerfully and switched towards the coffee machine, counting his coins. Warrior of Light turned and headed towards the room, smartening himself up as best as he could. He could still feel the slight pain in his neck from the fall.

It was now 8:45am and the Class 13A Homeroom was full up with most of the students in the group, chatting away about their own affairs. Warrior of Light entered the room. Upon noticing it, he stepped over towards his seat, the 3rd in the front row, and sat down. He gazed around; he could see the students were scattered around different sections of the room in small groups, continuously chatting about what they had done during the summer. He noticed Tidus continuously chatting to Cloud while he struggled to keep his eyes open and Cecil nodding and agreeing endlessly with Tidus, as though Cecil was listening to his continuous rant. Cecil was another long, silver-haired young man in the group with a very kind an approachable personality. The only girl in the group known as Terra was happily talking to Onion Knight, who seemed to be the only person she was able to become friends with without shying away. Although she was a timid, blond-haired girl, her presence within the group always made the atmosphere in the room light up. Onion Knight, although being younger than the rest of the group by a few years, had the mind of a genius. Warrior of Light then noticed Bartz and Zidane continuously pestering on Squall who seemed to be looking as moody as ever, although Warrior of Light could understand why. Warrior of Light switched back round towards the front of the room and began taking out his equipment from his bag. As he took out his books and equipment, he tried to mind his own business and ignore the conversations happening around the room. Until, one specific conversation caught his attention.

"I hear Cid of the Lufaine is visiting the Academy soon." Onion Knight casually told Terra.

"Really!? Where'd you hear that from?" Terra gasped, her hand lightly raised over her mouth with surprise.

Warrior of Light sat up, a sudden surge of excitement sparked through his body. He always wanted to meet Cid of the Lufaine, but the fact he was not told by Headmistress Cosmos meant he was not sure whether to believe Onion Knight.

"It's a huge rumour going around the whole Academy; many of the teachers have been talking about it recently." Onion Knight explained to her.

"And you believe these rumours?" Warrior of Light interrupted, switching round to their direction.

"Well … I would think the teachers would be telling the truth, otherwise what would be the point of bringing up the rumour in the first place?" Onion Knight continued to explain, feeling caught off by Warrior of Light's sudden involvement in the conversation.

Terra didn't say a word, feeling out of place within the conversation.

"I personally don't trust rumours, even if they were from teachers." Warrior of Light coolly argued, knowing from past experiences. "I'll consult the Headmistress about this at lunch to find out if this is true."

"Right … you go do that, I'm sure she'll confirm that the rumour's true." Onion Knight confidently stated in a big-headed tone. "I'm always right with my intuition."

"… Sure you are." Warrior of Light murmured under his breath irritably.

The two glared at each other with dagger-like eyes, feeling as though they were continuously stabbing at each other until one dominates the other. Terra felt like she was being intimidated by the atmosphere between the two of them. Warrior of Light always found Onion Knight irritating with his big-headed intuitions and omniscient complex, even if he was also a fellow member of the Council. Onion Knight, on the other hand, found Warrior of Light's continuous attempts to set examples for the Academy and bossy personality to be a nuisance. Their rivalry had been sparking since the start of last year during the 1st Semester, with the two always trying to contradict each other and have opposite opinions. After a few moments, both of them broke away from the staring contest with annoyance, carrying on with their own businesses.

Warrior of Light switched back round to face the front; he began to think through about this so called 'rumour'. The idea of Cid of the Lufaine visiting the Academy caused Warrior of Light to feel pleasant about the situation. But the fact that it was currently a large rumour circling round the Academy caused Warrior of Light to feel somewhat doubtful.

Suddenly, the door swung open. The class began to hear footsteps but did not see anyone enter the room. Warrior of Light lifted his head curiously as high as he could; only seeing blond hair in two ponytails bobbling across the end of his desk.

"Now class; you best listen to everything I say, or so help me, I will turn you all into strands of hay." A soft but strict voice commanded. The voice caused everyone in the room to think there were loud, surrounding speakers hidden in the room.

Suddenly a high stool appeared out from nowhere towards the front of the classroom, causing a few students to instantly jump from their seats. A small, dwarf-like figure jumped up swiftly onto the stool and faced the class with an elegant pose.

"I am your homeroom teacher: Professor Shantotto. Oh ho ho!" She stated proudly to the class.

"YOU'RE our homeroom teacher!? Pha ha haa … you're so small!" Bartz laughed out hysterically, swinging back on his chair.

Shantotto glared at him with utter distaste as Bartz continued to be in fits of laughter. Warrior of Light hastily hid his face in his hands, refusing to believe this was happening.

After what felt like ages, Shantotto blinked. "Well now, it seems we must go through some ground rules; Rule number 1!" She pointed out calmly, yet her tone of voice felt very intimidating. Unexpectedly, a sceptre instantly appeared in her right hand. She began to twirl it in her hand relaxingly, feeling the flow of the sceptre move around her small hand. And then, like a flash, she jabbed it in Bartz's direction. A large whirlwind instantly caught Bartz by utter shock. He had been thrown completely off his seat and collided against the back wall by the sheer force of the whirlwind. Once the whirlwind had disappeared; Bartz slumped to the floor and collapsed on his front, groaning in agony.

"One shall not insult another in this class; otherwise one may find their next breath to be their last. Do you agree, Master Klauser?" Shantotto stated cheerfully, her sceptre disappearing from her grasp.

Bartz struggled and groaned as he lifts his arm from the ground, but had just been able to give a thumb up in approval.

"Good. Rule Number 2: we must respect each other's ambitions and wishes, and help each other towards our successes … Am I clear?"

"YES, PROFFESSOR SHANTOTTO!" Everyone called out at the same time.

"And Rule Number 3: We are a family in this group, and this will continue in a loop."

"(Sigh) … what a pain." Squall moaned under his breath, glancing away in distaste of that rule.

At that instant, a load slam echoed horribly around the room. Everybody jumped by the surprise, including Squall. Gradually and cautiously, they all turned round towards the direction of the sound. The loud slam had originated from Cloud, who had slammed his head on his desk. He had gone completely unconscious; his over-tiredness finally got the better of him. Everyone looked at him with their mouths hung open in confusion. Warrior of Light sighed sorrowfully as he noticed Cloud's slumped body lean on his own desk. Just at that moment, the door to the room had opened. This time it had been Firion; who was holding two cups of hot coffee.

"Sorry I'm late, I was just buying a coffee for Cloud … Ah, I'm too late!" Firion jumped up as he noticed Cloud's motionless body.

Cloud's lifeless body slipped off of the desk and collided against the floor, causing another slamming sound to echo across the classroom. Cloud's unconscious body just lay there on the classroom floor, motionless and silent.

"Err … Professor; I suggest we should bring him to the Medical Room." Warrior of Light recommended to Shantotto.

She nodded in approval, but did not comment back.

Warrior of Light and Firion began to carry Cloud across the hallway with his feet lifelessly dragging against the floor. Warrior of Light knew that the Medical room had been situated on the 1st floor near the Academy Reception. With both of them realising this, they took in a long, meaningful breath and began to hobble down the stairs. They could not take the elevator due to it being situated on the other side of the Academy and is out of use for maintenance.

"So, why were you so late?" Warrior of Light questioned Firion curiously, feeling the strain of Cloud's unconscious body hanging from his shoulders.

"I got … caught up with something." Firion answered hesitantly.

"Caught up? With what, exactly?" Warrior of Light wondered oddly.

"N-nothing! It's nothing." Firion smiled and laughed weakly, his voice roughened up by the continuous strain.

Warrior of Light gazed towards him oddly, feeling he had been hiding something, but kept quiet for the moment knowing it was none of his business. They continued struggling down the stairs, passing each floor as they descend. Finally, they reached the 1st floor of the Academy. Panting and wheezing in agony, they heaved Cloud over towards the Medical Room. They heard Cloud lightly groan, but he didn't gain consciousness. They eventually reached the door to the Medical Room, almost dropping Cloud on the way. Both Warrior of Light and Firion counted to three and then pushed the door open. With that, they suddenly lurched forward, almost losing balance. They examined the surrounding room; none of them had been in the Medical Room before. To their surprise, it had been large and spacious, with many beds situated around the room; some of them had curtains closed up while others were open and vacant. All of a sudden, a young lady, around the same age as them, appeared from a closed curtain.

"Hello, may I help you?" She asked them curiously, her soft voice echoing the large room.

"Em … yes, Cloud here had fallen unconscious with over-tiredness in Homeroom." Warrior of Light explained, dazzled by the beauty of this young lady.

"Oh, that's unfortunate! Well, the Head Nurse is away at the moment, I'm a student nurse here helping out." She smiled calmly.

"So you should be fine with taking care of him?" Firion asked her in turn, also mesmerized by her beauty.

"Yes." She nodded cheerfully.

With that, she began helping the two take Cloud to a free bed. Laying him down, both Warrior of Light and Firion felt the weight disappear from their shoulders. Both of them began to stretch out, feeling the aches and strains slowly disappearing from their bodies. Warrior of Light took another gaze around the Medical Room, noticing a few students on a few beds with different injuries and illnesses.

"May I ask your name?" Firion politely asked the student nurse.

"Aerith." She answered with a smile.

"Well, Aerith, it was pleasant to meet you but we must get back to class." Warrior of Light told her politely, realising the time.

She nodded with a sweet smile, "I understand; I'll look after Cloud for the time being till he recovers."

And so, Warrior of Light and Firion waved goodbye to Aerith and headed out the door. They began to head their way back to the homeroom, but as they did, Warrior of Light caught a glimpse of a large figure outside in the distance. He halted instantly and glared towards the large, powerful figure. He suddenly blinked, and the figure instantly disappeared. Warrior of Light shook his head, thinking that had just been his imagination.

"Are you okay?" Firion wondered curiously, noticing Warrior of Light standing still.

He jumped with surprise, and switched back to him, "Err … yes, I'm fine. I … just remembered I need to go see Headmistress Cosmos." He hesitantly commented as an excuse.

Warrior of Light hastily ran up the stairs towards the top floor, out of Firion's sight.

"Err … okay." Firion muttered as he watched Warrior of Light disappear.

Headmistress Cosmos had been sorting out some old files on her desk when she got a sudden knock on her door.

"Come in." she commanded formally yet sweetly.

The door opened up and Warrior of Light entered the office hastily.

"What's the matter, Warrior of Light? You seem in a rush." Cosmos curiously asked him, still sorting out the folders spread across her desk.

Warrior of Light didn't wish to inform the Headmistress of the figure he caught sight of just yet, but there was something in his mind he wished to bring up.

"Sorry to intrude, Headmistress. I just had to take Cloud Strife to the Medical Room. I've come to ask about this rumour I heard –" Warrior of Light began to explain to her.

"About Cid of the Lufaine's visit?" Cosmos finished his question for him.

"Oh – yes." He nodded, caught off guard by Cosmos knowing what he was going to say.

"Well, to answer your question. Yes, he is going to make a visit. He'll be here around the end of this week." She explained to him clearly.

"Really!? Why did you not tell me earlier!?" He questioned in a rushed tone of voice.

"Well, I didn't want to spoil the surprise." Cosmos jokingly answered, a sweet giggle escaped her mouth. But then she became slightly more serious. "But I'm having a guess here that this isn't the only reason why you came up to my office for a visit, especially since your first lesson is about to begin."

"Err … yes, just a moment ago I thought I saw–" Warrior of Light began, deciding to inform about the figure from earlier, but had been interrupted by a knock on the door.

The door opened casually.

"… Garland." Warrior of Light finished in shock, glaring towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3: An Uncertain Alibi

"Did I interrupt something?" Garland questioned curiously, entering the Headmistress' office in a formal manner.

Warrior of Light glared towards Garland; stricken with horror as the man that he despised the most in this world entered the room so casually. Garland was shown to be a tall, buffed man who always towered over everyone before him. He wore a dark black suit in a similar form to all the staff members within the Academy. But what caused him to stand out from the rest had been the fact that he always wore a fully-facial, metal-plated helmet consisting of two large horns and a tense, eerie expression whenever he would be seen.

Garland stepped towards Cosmos' desk and handed over a strong Binder consisting with several sheets of paper, the Binder's cover titled 'DISSIDIA ACADEMY: 1st Semester Itinerary'.

"I believe _this _is what you called me over for, Headmistress?" Garland coolly wondered, allowing Cosmos to take the Binder off of his grasp.

"Yes, this is perfect." Cosmos cheerfully nodded, placing the folder neatly on her desk.

Numerous questions shot across Warrior of Light's mind: Why was Garland here? Why was he being so well-mannered and casual towards both him and Headmistress Cosmos? Why was the Headmistress acting so calmly back towards him? Why was he suited up like the staff members within the Academy!?

The Headmistress then switched her gaze towards Warrior of Light calmly, causing him to jump out of his skin in retaliation.

"Is there anything else you need, Warrior of Light?" Cosmos wondered curiously, "If you don't head off soon, you'll be late for your first lesson; and that would not be a good start for your reputation as Council President."

Warrior of Light had been completely speechless. He tried to speak out and ask so many of these questions stuck inside his head, but they would not arrive from his mouth. Instead, Warrior of Light's mouth just hung open as if to dry and faint, stuttering grunts were heard. In the end, he gave up trying and dropped his head slightly to hide his face.

"No, there's nothing else." He spoke, shaking his head.

"Well then, I must continue with my own work." Cosmos concluded peacefully, switching back towards her desk. "Garland, would you be so kind as to escort Warrior of Light to his Lesson?"

"Certainly." Garland accepted, giving out a small nod.

Warrior of Light gave out a small sigh and began to follow Garland out of the room. Garland held the door open for him as he passed, but Warrior of Light refused to thank or even look upon Garland. As the door for the Headmistress' office began to close shut, Warrior of Light took one last glace towards the Headmistress. He was just able to catch sight of Cosmos raising her head; a small but somewhat sad smile appeared on her face. But just before Warrior of Light could get a clearer view, the door closed on his sight.

Warrior of Light and Garland headed down the staircase towards the 5th floor, both not speaking a word. Warrior of Light's first lesson of the Academic year had been Art, situated in the 1st main Art room on the 5th floor. Right now, Warrior of Light's mind had been flying all over the place with numerous questions and uncertainties, having Garland escort him to his first lesson made this all the more worse. Warrior of Light's mind was close to exploding with fury.

The two of them reached the 5th floor and began to head off towards the Art Corridor. As students were now sitting in their first lessons, the corridors had become completely silent and empty.

"I always find that the Academy has the best atmosphere when it's quiet." Garland suddenly stated, trying to break to silence.

Warrior of Light abruptly halted to a stop, his head hid behind his long silver hair. Garland noticed his halt and switched to his direction curiously. Warrior of Light's hands drew into fists and began to shake violently by his side. Until now, he tried to brush away the fact that Garland had been situated within the Academy, but his presence and attitude continued to dig deep into his mind. Garland's innocent comment had been too out of character for him, and Warrior of Light needed answers.

"Why … are you here, Garland?" Warrior of Light began to question in a low, menacing tone, and his head rising back up to face Garland.

"Hmm … well, if you must know; The Headmistress generously offered a job for me within the Academy as an English teacher." Garland began to explain, his tone of voice was formal yet proud. "I accepted and here I am now."

This constant positive and upbeat tone coming from Garland ticked off Warrior of light, feeling that there had to be some sort of catch to all of this. Warrior of Light stepped closer to Garland and examined him carefully, checking for any sign of contradiction.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Garland wondered cautiously, noticing the fury within Warrior of Light's eyes.

"You've ruined so many people's lives; causing civilians to become unemployed, bankrupted, and even homeless! You've created chaos in so many towns and cities for your own personal gain! And personally … you were the cause for my amnesia five years ago!" Warrior of Light spat in disgust, pointing the guilty finger towards Garland. He kept the volume of his voice as quiet as possible, bearing in mind about the lessons happening around them. "Right now … you should be locked up in the Dungeon Cells!"

There was a moment of silence between him and Garland, eyes locked onto each other's. Warrior of Light's eyes was burning furiously like the sun whilst Garland's were blank, empty and unreadable. Warrior of Light caught sight of Garland slightly shaking his head, glaring down for some reason.

"The Dungeon Cells is a place no living being would want to be locked up in." Garland finally spoke out, confessing in a formal, acquitted tone. "During the 5 years trapped in that horrific place; I gave myself time to recollect the faults and sins I have created for myself and others. I knew that I did wrong and that it would have been close to impossible to request so many peoples' forgiveness for my actions. But alas, I was rightfully paying for my own crimes. It was then that I desired to become a changed being, to wipe the slate completely clean from its unmovable stains. After trying so many times, it had been Headmistress Cosmos who answered my call. She gave me the chance to enter society once again as a respectable civilian and even offered me a job within this Academy. I am very grateful for her and hope to repay her in the future."

Warrior of Light took a moment to gather in all this information, glaring at him with uncertainty. The idea of Garland becoming a changed man and especially him becoming an English teacher here did not sit well inside his mind whatsoever. To him, this whole situation had been absurd.

"There has to be some sort of catch here." Warrior of Light responded cautiously.

"Well, whatever you may think about me, we can only settle our differences and trust by working gradually through the rest of this academic year. Right now we both have places to go and tasks to complete." Garland began to conclude, realising the time. "I trust that you could reach your first lesson without my assistance?"

Warrior of Light gave out a small nod, his mind still full of obscurity.

"Then I shall take my leave." Garland finished, beginning to tread off in the opposite direction. He then called out with a wave, "I shall see you in your first English Lesson."

Warrior of Light just stood there in the middle of the 5th floor corridor, watching Garland walk off proudly. His mind felt like it just took a fatal beating from the events that had just occurred. Shaking his head vigorously, all he could do now had been to brush this all away to the back of his mind and rush to his first actual lesson of the Academic year: Art.

Warrior of Light finally reached the door to his lesson, the plaque that had been drilled into the door reading: Art Studio 1. He straightened himself up appropriately, checking his uniform and bag so that nothing had been out of place. Warrior of Light knew that there would be some sort of punishment for his lateness, but he wasn't going to cower away because of it. Inhaling a deep, calming breath, he knocked on the door and turned the handle to head inside. The exact moment he began to enter, Warrior of Light caught sight of his fellow classmates from the Homeroom sitting in their assigned seats for the subject. All their eyes switched to him the split second he had knocked on the door, causing Warrior of Light to feel somewhat intimidated. He tried to brush off that feeling as he stepped inside the room.

"Sorry I'm late, sir." He began his apology. "I had to … huh?"

As Warrior of Light examined the Art Studio fully, he noticed that the teacher had been nowhere in sight. The Art Studio itself had been large and spacious, allowing students to move around with ease to different materials and apparatus to work on. Its walls were filled with various images and work varying in different types of Art techniques and movements. An understandable difference with this room from others in the Academy had been the desks or 'workspace'; they had been considerably larger than the usual so that there had been enough room for individuals to work on their projects. Towards the front of the Art Studio had been a large, towering white board filled with various descriptions about famous Artists, Artwork, and about Art in general.

Warrior of Light switched to his classmates, who were gazing towards him with surprised expressions, as though they were watching something extraordinary and completely out of this world. Warrior of Light wondered to himself why they were acting like that, but ignored that and instead continued to wonder about the teacher's whereabouts.

"Do you guys know where the teacher-?" He began to ask the rest of the class, but suddenly got interrupted by an echoing, menacing voice.

"So, the 'Council President' decides to show up after all!" The eerie, over-the-top voice taunted, "And here I was thinking that the Academy elected a lazy-ass, skiving, failure for a President. Hehehehehe … It seems I may have to reconsider that … slightly."

Warrior of Light tried to spot where the echoing voice had been originating from, but the only people he could see were the rest of the class. The students just continued to glare towards him, or to be exact 'above him', speechlessly.

"Where are you!?" Warrior of Light bellowed out, his head changing direction trying to find the person who had been taunting him.

"HERE I AM!" The menacing voice suddenly roared.

Just within that second, an upside-down face appeared from above Warrior of Light. The sudden and unexpected close appearance caused Warrior of Light to literally jump off of the ground in fright, his legs flying up in front and head flying back. He fell back uncontrollably due to the loss of his balance and collided against the floor of the corridor, knocking his head hard against the wooden floor and causing a loud crashing sound to echo throughout the corridor. With that, Warrior of Light began to hear a booming, insane-like laugher follow the crashing echo.

"WHOA-hohohohoho! That was just PERFECT!" The voice bellowed in a manic tone of voice, laughing non-stop that seemed to gradually grow louder. "Hohoo … That's will certainly be a highlight of the year, and we're only on the FIRST DAY! I can't stop laughing!"

Warrior of Light began to sit himself up painfully, his head throbbing in agony. He instantly caught sight of the man who caused him to jump laughing manically, clutching his abdomen as he tried to breathe through the hysterics. What caught off Warrior of Light's guard even more at this moment in time had been that this man was floating at ease in mid-air! Bobbing up and down on his back like it was nothing to him. As Warrior of Light recovered to his feet, his heart still beating at an aggressive speed, he began to notice the detail of this man 'floating' before him. The man had been wearing the usual formal suit like all the staff in the Academy, yet what had made caused him to stand out from the rest of the staff had been his face and skin. The man seemed to have had his whole appearance styled like a creepy jester or harlequin; his skin had been as white as a ghost, his purple lips smiling eerily, and his light brown hair had been tied back with a bunch of large, sky blue feathers and trinkets.

"Er … y-you must be Mr Palazzo?" Warrior of Light guessed with a hesitant stutter, unable to read this man's peculiar movements.

"Mr Palazzo? Ha! I'm not too fond of being addressed by such a name." The man spat with distaste, yet continuing to laugh hysterically, "a pathetic insect like you may call me MASTER Palazzo as I RULE in these lessons! Hohohoo … or just Kefka, if you desire."

"R-right …" Warrior of Light nodded cautiously, taking in a deep breath as he straightened back into his usual strong posture.

With that, Warrior of Light stepped inside the classroom, passing Kefka with a safe distance, and headed towards his allocated seat. Kefka's eyes locked onto the Warrior of Light like daggers ready to strike as the student passed. Once Warrior of Light sat down, Kefka casually began to glide over towards the front of the whole class with ease, small chuckles escaping him as he flew over.

"Now then, let us … begin." Kefka announced; his tone of voice ranged from lightly humorous to deep and terrifying within that one sentence.

As Kefka began to make a long and somewhat psycho-like speech, Warrior of Light eyes averted and searched the room. He instantly realised Cloud Strife wasn't present for the lesson, meaning he was still situated in the Medical Room. But something else caught his sight; Terra Branford's present behaviour. Terra, who had been sitting across the room from Warrior of Light, was tensely fidgeting and seemed to be severely nervous. Warrior of Light kept an eye on her curiously, wondering why she was acting like so.

"… Now with the subject of art, the artist can express their own desires and emotions through various styles and movements. The ideas of Impressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism are just a few examples of the wide range of movements in art culture." Kefka ranted on, chuckling away as he spoke out to the class, his expressions and emotions were all over the place. "But, personally, I don't fancy the 'peaceful' and 'drastically dull' artwork in early generations. I enjoy the EXPLOSIONS, the FLARE, and the INSANITY of recent generations! Hehehahaa … ooh, you can just feel the CHAOS burning within the brushstrokes!"

A small squeak was then heard from Terra, taken aback by Kefka's sudden outbursts on his views of art. Warrior of Light tried to read Terra like a book, noticing that there seemed to be some sort of history between her and Kefka. By how she's been acting, Warrior of Light could tell she was traumatised by Kefka. He began to feel sorry for the girl, but knew he couldn't help her just in case he interferes with the lesson. He switched his eyesight to the front and began to listen to the madman for a teacher rant on and on about the love for chaos and destruction.

Lunch Break finally began across the Whole Academy, the 12:30pm bell ringing out loudly across the building in high spirits. Most students rushed straight from their classrooms towards the Dining Hall, grasping their food money ready to chow down to the cafeteria's decent and well-presented dishes. Some students, however, had their own packed-lunches prepared for them beforehand, and so headed outside towards the Academy grounds to enjoy the strong rays of the Sun and relaxing atmosphere. Warrior of Light swerved and dodged the rushing crowds so he could reach the Academy grounds, remembering from last year how much of a hassle it had been to move about during Lunch Break. Due to students' impatience for food, Warrior of Light had been pushed about constantly as he attempted to pass by. After a number of punches, kicks, and elbows to the face, Warrior of Light finally made it out to the Academy grounds. He took a moment to gain his breath back after that onslaught of impatient, hungry students. Once regaining energy, he caught sight of a free bench under a faraway cherry-blossom tree, vacant and out of the way from the crowds of gathering students. Warrior of Light trod over to the vacant bench, cautiously checking for anymore rushing students. Once he reached the bench, he took no time to sit and acquire his packed-lunch from his backpack. His lunch consisted of the simple-yet-classic ham and cheese sandwich, a green and fresh apple, a small chocolate bar, and a bottle of natural spring water. Warrior of Light felt at peace being separate from all the inconvenience of both the students and teachers, especially after the whole drama from only the first day of the Academy's opening Semester. The falling cherry-blossom petals helped clear his mind, giving him a moment of tranquillity. Taking a deep breath, he grasped a sandwich and drew in ready to take a bite.

"Ah, Light-o, there you are!" A load, enthusiastic voice called out abruptly.

Due to the sudden burst, Warrior of Light completely missed his sandwich and instead bit down on his own tongue. Not long after, a tremendous scream of agony roared across the whole of Dissidia Academy. Every student and teacher within the Academy halted on what they had been doing, whether eating or working, and gazed around wondering where the random roar appeared from.

Warrior of Light pressed down on his tongue with his thumb and finger, preventing it from bleeding out. Sitting beside him on the bench, Tidus had been non-stop laughing hysterically for the past ten minutes, sounding as though he had been literally dying of laughter. Warrior of Light, on the other hand, wasn't pleased in the slightest, seeing as it had been Tidus who caused him to bite his tongue.

"I'm glad you thind dis thunny." Warrior of Light sarcastically commented whilst still holding his tongue. He found Tidus' over-the-top laughter starting to get on his nerves.

"Hahahaa … b-but that was just t-too perfect!" Tidus admitted as he tried to breathe again, and yet his laughter had no end. "How in the world could you bite your tongue s-so … EASILY!?"

"It'sth not like I dthid it on purposth!" Warrior of Light tried to argue, squeezing tightly and painfully on his tongue without even realising due to his rising frustration.

Ever since he bit his tongue, he hadn't been able to eat any of his lunch whatsoever. He could feel his stomach growling in hunger, grumbling loudly as though shouting out that it desperately wanted to be fed. Warrior of Light gradually lifted his finger and thumb off of his tongue, feeling that the cut on his tongue had finally stopped gushing out with blood. Just then, he caught from the corner of his eye noticing Tidus glaring towards his lunch, as though he had been inspecting its quality.

"Your food seems kinda … dull." Tidus lowly commented, eyes locked onto the food with wonderous eyes.

Warrior of Light felt something snap in his mind, feeling as though his temper has just been let loose.

"Argh… Is there a reason why you're here or do you just want to bother me!?" Warrior of Light bellowed out in anger, hastily moving his lunch out of Tidus' view.

"Woah, woah … chill out, buddy!" Tidus waved innocently, feeling that the outburst from Warrior of Light had been a bit sudden. "I just wanted to hang out, that's all."

"Well, why me? What about Cloud, Cecil, and Firion? I thought you would always hang out with them." Warrior of Light wondered curiously, finding it odd that Tidus wanted to hang out with him rather than his usual group.

"Well, Cloud's still recovering in the Medical Room, Firion said to me that he had an errand to take care of, and Cecil's having a meeting with Professor Golbez: who happens to be his brother and our astronomy teacher." Tidus lengthily answered, numbering them off with his fingers as he explained.

"… And what about you? Haven't you got Blitzball training or something?" Warrior of Light continued to question, deciding to finally chew down on his sandwich without any more sudden interruptions.

"Nope, I have training on Tuesdays and Thursdays." Tidus answered ecstatically, showing of a cheerful smile. "And besides, I always see you wondering about the Academy alone, not hanging out with friends or anything. You always seem to be working and have a serious attitude about you. You're kinda like Squall, just without the gloominess atmosphere hanging around you. So I thought I should help you lighten up a little, get to know you and stuff … seeing as I have nothing else to do."

"Is that so..?" Warrior of Light looked towards him oddly, trying to understand the guy. He couldn't understand how Tidus could be so cheerful and always full of energy, let alone his sudden and crazy decision makings. But he also felt somewhat grateful, talking with Tidus started to give him some of the fresh air he needed. Under the blissful cherry-blossom tree, Warrior of Light felt like he had been in a peaceful state as he enjoyed some company.

"Well, thank you for your concern." Warrior of Light nodded with gratitude, finishing off his sandwich. A small smile lifted up on his face.

"Hey! Maybe we should practise some Blitzball drills and-" Tidus began to speak with his usual upbeat tone, but suddenly halted.

"Sorry, I was never that great with Blitzball, But I – huh, what's the matter?" Warrior of Light wondered curiously, switching round to see why Tidus stopped talking.

Upon turning round, Warrior of Light instantly noticed Tidus glaring towards the distance of the Academy grounds, his face lit up with a wondrous yet cautious expression. He then suddenly leapt up to his feet to stand on the bench as he tried to gain a better view. This, in turn, caused Warrior of Light to hastily jump back from his sitting position by the sudden movement.

"What has gotten into you?" Warrior of Light questioned cautiously, gazing up towards him with an odd expression.

After a moment of glaring in the distance, Tidus abruptly leaped off of the bench.

"Er … gotta go!" Tidus called out, taking one last glimpse around, horror showing in his face, before shooting off in the distance of the other direction.

"What was that all about?" Warrior of Light commented with a completely stunned expression.

He then shook his head to brush away what had happened and got ready to eat his fresh green apple. But the moment when he was just about to take a bite, he heard a fellow student roar out from behind him. He hastily switched round to see where the voice had come from, not knowing what to expect. The moment he caught sight of what had been coming, his mouth instantly fell open in shock and terror. Who he caught sight of was none other than Squall Leonhart, sprinting for his life. He seemed to be gritting his teeth tightly and numerous drops of sweat flew off of his face. But what had been chasing him from behind had been what both he and Warrior of Light began to fear for their own lives from.

"That's … a lot of girls." Warrior of Light ushered out from the back of his throat, eyes wide open with horror.

A whole stampede of female students were chasing after Squall with love-struck expressions on all of their faces, showing no signs of stopping until they've caught their target. Warrior of Light hastily packed up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, knowing this had been the moment to move. The second he straightened up though; sudden load, deafening screams echoed through the whole of the Academy grounds. Warrior of Light had now become a target. Squall, who had still been keeping up with a fast running pace, caught onto this straight away.

"Light! Run, NOW!" He roared out, panting and wheezing as he continued to run for his own life.

Before Warrior of Light could react, Squall shot passed him at lightning speed, grasping a tight hold onto his collar as he passed. Warrior of Light's body jolted without warning and before he knew it, both he and Squall were now sprinting away from the crowd of 'fan girls' chasing after them. Warrior of Light swiftly drew into a constant speed, running to the same pace as Squall.

"What is going on!? Why are these girls chasing us!?" Warrior of Light bellowed out towards Squall, his mind completely flying with confusion.

"You've become their new target!" Squall answered back, trying to find his words through all of the panting and gasping. "They will not stop until they've caught at least one of us!"

"And what will happen if they do!?" Warrior of Light continued to question, he could feel the sandwich he just ate up churn round in his stomach as he ran through the grounds.

"Who knows?!" Squall answered regretfully, wishing this would end. "Let's just say; no one has ever lived to tell the tale!"

"… Oh." Warrior of Light realised under his breath, horror striking a nerve in his body.

Both Squall and Warrior of Light turned a corner hastily, trying to figure out a way to lose the rabid fan girls, keeping an eye out for gaps or spaces to hide through. They began to parallel with the Academy's building, not dropping their pace for a second. Just then, Warrior of Light caught sight of a small, well hidden side-door leading into the west side of the building that would normally be used for a Fire Exit.

"Quick. Through here." Warrior of Light hastily nudged Squall, who nodded back tensely.

On the count of 3, the two of them launch themselves through the small door and out of the fan girls' sights.

"Wow, that … was close!" Warrior of Light forced out with relief, kneeling on the carpet of the small corridor as he tried to gain his breath back.

Squall took a moment to do the same, and then struggled to rise up to his feet. His whole body had been shaking violently from the insane amount of running they had just done.

"Those girls began to target you the moment they found out that you were the Council President from this morning's Academy assembly." Squall began to explain, taking in many deep recovery breaths as he spoke on. "Ever since then, they've been non-stop searching for you the whole day."

"Really!? What about you? Why were they chasing you?" Warrior of Light queried curiously, still wondering in his mind on how all this happened.

Squall took a moment to answer; Warrior of Light could see he was having a lot of trouble answering.

"I … said 'hi' back to them." He finally spoke, mumbling as silently as he could whilst he dropped his head to hide his face.

"THAT'S IT!?" Warrior of Light bellowed in shock, then hastily covering up his mouth as he realised he had been too loud.

"Don't worry; I think they're gone now." Squall assumed, placing an ear against the Fire Exit door.

He then gave the 'all clear' and cautiously opened the door. Warrior of Light gradually got back up to his feet, making sure he still looked respectable as he rose. As they re-entered the Academy grounds, they continuously checked all sides to confirm that the place had been safely clear.

"My guess is that they'll be roaming the Front Entrance of the Academy, so be on the lookout." Squall hopefully yet lowly assumed, becoming slightly paranoid of whoever passes him from behind.

Warrior of Light nodded, trusting his instincts.

The two of them headed over to the Front Entrance, passing the bench under the cherry-blossom tree that Warrior of Light sat under to eat his lunch. Warrior of Light knew that he had no other choice but to eat the rest of his lunch later on in the afternoon. Suddenly, as they closed in on the Entrance, Squall halted his movement. He then abruptly forced Warrior of Light to the side, both of them hidden away against the wall.

"What are you-" Warrior of Light blurted out, but noticed Squall holding up a finger in silence.

Warrior of Light poked his head around to find what the fuss had been all about. Instantly, he caught sight of Cloud Strife exiting the building, feeling slightly dazed and holding a coffee cup.

"Finally … some fresh air." Cloud sighed with relief, rubbing the small bump on his forehead from where he had collided against the table.

Just at the moment he drew in for another sip of his hot coffee, sudden echoes of feminine screams were heard from the distance. Cloud switched around, wondering where the screams had been coming from. The screams grew louder and louder, and both Warrior of Light and Squall could only watch in terror as the upcoming events began to unfold. The same large group of rabid fan girls began to appear from out of nowhere. Cloud had been unable to see this coming, and became completely shocked and confused as the group surrounded him mercilessly. At first, numerous loud and cheerful conversations spread across the surrounding group of girls, and then it turned into chaos. Cloud had been grasped onto by many of the female students and finally dragged away into the distance.

"Wh-what's going on? Where are you taking me!? W-wait … WAIT!" Cloud bellowed out, unable to free himself from the fan girls' unbreakable clutches.

Warrior of Light and Squall glared sorrowfully as Cloud disappeared into the distance trapped in the cage of the fan girls' giggly grasps.

"Cloud had been a valiant ally." Squall stated in his usual dark, gloomy tone, but then he brought his hand up into an honourable salute sign. "His sacrifice will never be forgotten."

"You sound as though he's going to DIE!" Warrior of Light bellowed in anger, finding this whole situation unbelievable.

The final bell of the day rang out at exactly 3:00pm; the various groups of students left the classrooms straight away feeling free and alive. Various students grouped up and chatted away to each other about how their day had gone by and what their plans were for the rest of the day. Students took their time to leave the Academy building and so the amount of students dwindling about lessened over a small period of time. Class 13A exited from their final lesson of the day: Maths, and began to head off happily in their separate directions. Squall left straight away so that he could get as far away as possible from Zidane and Bartz who had been constantly nagging him. Tidus rounded up his usual group: him seemingly ecstatic as always, Firion and Cecil deep into some sort of debate, and Cloud trailing from behind. Cloud seemed to be in a somewhat traumatised state from the incident with the 'rabid fan girl' female students, but Tidus kept on attempting to perk his spirit up so that he would be back to his normal self. Terra and Onion Knight headed off at their own pace, both who seemed to be rather relieved to have the day finally end. Warrior of Light packed up his equipment and slung on his backpack, ready to move. But, just as he was about to leave, Firion tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Council President; do you want to walk home with us?" Firion wondered curiously, a calm smile showing across his face.

"Sorry, Firion; I have a meeting with the Headmistress about sorting out the Council meetings." Warrior of Light answered, shaking his head as he switched round. "Maybe we could some other time."

Firion shrugged cheerfully, "that's fine; make sure you tell me about the Council plans tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll be sure to do that." Warrior of Light smiled in return, waving the group off.

Warrior of Light could just catch Tidus speaking and joking about with the other three, "Light seems to be visiting the Headmistress a lot today, sounds like they're all buddy-buddy, ahahah!" before the group disappeared from sight.

Warrior of Light swiftly reached the top floor of the Academy, having no problems during the way up. He strode up to the Headmistress' Office and patiently knocked on the door. He heard the usual call to head in and did so with no hesitation. As he entered, he caught sight of the same organised office the he entered during the beginning of the day, just slightly dimmer due to the light of the setting sun. He instantly noticed Headmistress Cosmos standing up from her desk, overseeing the students leaving the Academy grounds from the window. It looked to be as though she was a Goddess to the Academy, managing both the academic and the wellbeing of Dissidia Academy and its highly valued students. Warrior of Light trod up to the desk, checking to be sure he stood in a proud manner.

"It's nice to see that the Academy had a strong beginning for its Semester, is it not?" Cosmos cheerfully spoke out, twisting round with a cool, innocent smile across her face.

"Well, it certainly had been an interesting start, that's for sure." Warrior of Light nodded with a chuckle, knowing from his odd experiences during the day.

"Now, seeing as the first Council meeting begins on Friday Lunch Break, I wish for you to investigate any issues concerning the Academy during the rest of the week, any suggestions for upcoming events, and so on." Cosmos began to brief, handing over a sheet of paper to Warrior of Light that concerned current upcoming events taking place throughout the next couple of months. "I'm sure that should be simple enough. Also, you will be joined by Cid of the Lufaine in that meeting so make sure there is a lot to discuss with him."

Warrior of Light happily agreed and accepted the sheet of paper. But there had been something that stuck in his mind the whole day and needed to be brought up immediately.

"Cosmos, may I ask; why did you employ Garland into the Academy as an English teacher?" He finally asked out, hoping to gain the answer he needed.

The Headmistress stood silent for a moment, dipping her head slightly in hesitance. She knew he would ask, but didn't want to start a misunderstanding.

"Garland appeared before me desiring to begin a new life, telling me he realised that he had done wrong within the past number of years." Cosmos finally began to explain, taking in a deep breath as she spoke. "At first I did not accept his wishes. But I examined him and realised he had been telling the truth, and so I decided to help him regain reputation."

"But you know what he has done to the lives of so many people, including myself!" Warrior of Light began to argue, hoping that there had been some sense in the Headmistress' risky decision.

"Don't worry; I certainly placed that into consideration. Alas, when I heard him out, I could tell that he hoped dearly for a second chance." Cosmos continued, giving out an understandable nod. "And my eyes have never told me wrong."

Warrior of Light drew back with hesitance, not knowing whether to accept this or not. Cosmos gazed at him with understanding eyes.

"All I can tell you now is that you'll just have to trust me and see for yourself as the academic year goes by." Cosmos assured him.

Warrior of Light took a moment to consider this; and then nodded with acceptance, knowing that he could place his trust on Headmistress Cosmos' words. He then placed the sheet of paper neatly into his backpack and got ready to head out home.

"I will see you tomorrow, Warrior of Light." Cosmos stated out as she bid farewell.

Warrior of Light waved her goodbye as he left, but did not say a word. Cosmos sat back down on her desk and began to write notes down on various reports. But not long after Warrior of Light left, another knock sounded from the door of her office.

"Come in." Cosmos formally called out, concentrating on her reports.

The door opened and the sound of large, booming footsteps echoed in the room.

"That boy certainly likes to nose in on other peoples businesses." A deep, strong voice spoke out.

"Warrior of Light has very valid reasons to know about the changes going on within the Academy." Cosmos stated truthfully, her eyes locked onto her reports. "He is a promising student, and will certainly lead a successful life. He just needs to manage the setback that he has kept inside of him, that's all."

"I you say so." The deep voice accepted.

Cosmos halted her note-taking, hesitating for a moment. The man that stood before her was to be the new Headmaster of Dissidia Academy, no matter what arguments and excuses Cosmos tried to use to change the minds of the Government. In her head, Cosmos hated the fact the she would be replaced against he own will by such a man. She felt that the amount of care and attention she had put towards this Academy would be thrown out of the window and destroyed the moment this man takes over. But in the end, the result would be inevitable; Cosmos just had to accept that.

Cosmos placed down her black-inked pen and raised her head to meet eye-to-eye with the man. The man that stood before her had been no ordinary man; everything other than his suit had been different than everyone else within the Academy. He towered twice the height of Garland and looked as though he could take down buildings with a simple punch. He had four brutal-looking arms with large claws at the end and two large, demonic wings. His facial appearance seemed to be particularly different; he had the face of a demon. With two bloods red horrifying horn and various smaller spikes covering the head. He also had razor-sharp, shark-like teeth that could cut through anything.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Deputy-headmaster Chaos?" Cosmos questioned politely, keeping up her sweet, peaceful appearance.


	4. Chapter 4: Wake Up Call

Cloud Strife's eyes flickered open gradually; his senses came back to him one by one whilst he regained his consciousness. The first thing that he caught a glimpse of had been a plain yet heavenly ceiling. Unique patterns continued to flourish throughout, as though trying to tell a story based on the viewers imagination. Cloud's eyes wondered around dazedly in their sockets with curiousness, trying to figure out where he had been situated in. He could just notice a series of large crystal-white curtains surrounding his body as though trying to keep him secure and safe. Cloud then raised his head up slightly, feeling a puffed-up pillow rub gently against the back of his head. He gradually began to gaze above towards the window, finding several pure light rays breaking through the gaps of the window blinds.

"Ah, so you're finally awake." A sweet and innocent voice suddenly spoke out, causing Cloud to jump up suddenly with shock. "Welcome back."

Cloud swiftly whipped his head round to where the voice originated from, not knowing what to expect. The moment he caught sight, his heart instantly felt as though it had skipped a beat. The person who he laid eyes upon felt as if he had been bestowed a guardian angel to watch over him. Her face had been smooth and delicate, showing of a sweet and innocent smile that would calm any troubled soul. Her chocolate brown hair had been tied back with a simple hairband, yet the way it swayed showed off how well-managed and the amount of effort that had been put into its quality. What she wore seemed to be a pure white uniform, giving off a heavenly feel.

Cloud hastily shook his head, snapping himself out of his trance. The moment he did, various questions began to pop in his mind. And so he decided to begin with the most simple of the bunch.

"Wh-where am I?" He dazedly requested, examining the area that he laid in once again. "Am I dead?"

"Wha-!? No, no! You're in the Academy's Medical Room." The girl hastily answered, giggling by Cloud's question. "You're classmates carried you down here saying you collapsed during homeroom."

Cloud instantly understood what had happened the moment the girl answered. It seemed that the lack of sleep hit him the hard way. He then began to sooth his forehead, feeling a large bump swelling up.

"Well … thank you for looking after me … um …" Cloud began to state, showing gratitude to the girl that he realised he did not know the name of.

"Aerith Gainsborough." The girl answered to him sweetly. "I help out here as a student nurse."

"Th-thank you … Aerith." Cloud echoed shyly, trying to hide his flustered face.

Aerith nodded cheerfully, accepting his gratitude. She then placed her soft, smooth palm on Cloud's forehead, checking if the swelling began to go down. This caused Cloud's current nervousness to peak, his face burning bright red and heart racing.

"Hmm … it seems to be settling down now; you should probably sooth it down with an ice-pack every so often." Aerith began to explain with her sweet smile, completely oblivious to Cloud's burning red face. "And maybe you should have a cup of coffee to wake yourself up properly."

"Oh … right!" Cloud nodded hastily, barely paying much attention.

Aerith moved her palm off from Cloud's forehead and stood up, grabbing the curtains surrounding Cloud and started to drag them open. Cloud began to shuffle himself over to the edge of the bed, preparing to put on his shoes and head out. He checked the time on the clock that hung on the wall to the left of him: 12:23pm. It then dawned on him that he had been unconscious for almost 4 hours! As he began to tie up his shoelaces, he heard Aerith's sweet voice from a distance.

"Oh … you ALL came to visit Cloud?" Aerith wondered curiously, sounding as though she had been talking to people on the other side of the curtains.

When the word 'all' had been spoken, Cloud suddenly felt like a brick whacked him round the head. His eyes wide with sudden horror and teeth clenched tight, he turned his head slowly and cautiously and expected the worst to happen. The moment he caught sight of what awaited past the open curtains, he instantly gave out a small whimper like a small pup. Surrounding him were girls … lots of girls. And not just any type of girls: they were Fan girls. They all stood over him, faces gleaming with excitement of finally getting close to him. Cloud smiled fearfully, knowing what would happen the moment he moved an inch. All of a sudden, in unison with each other, the fan girls screamed at the top of their voices with excitement. The screams were so loud that they could cause any normal person within range of them go deaf. Cloud literally leaped out of his skin by the sudden screams, not knowing what to do. The fan girls then began to draw in closer, hands out ready to grab him.

"No, Please don't!" Cloud cried out in terror, bracing himself for the worst. "NOOO!"

Everything suddenly turned pitch black.

Cloud tossed and turned in his sleep, grunting and moaning due to his current nightmare. As he continued to sleep, a knock began to sound from his door across the room.

"Oi, Cloud! It's time to wake up!" A voice called out loudly and energetically whilst the door opened up. "Come on, man. It's only Thursday, you've got to head off to the Academy soon."

Upon entering the room, the man instantly noticed Cloud tossing and turning on his bed, fast asleep. The man could tell straight away that Cloud was in the middle of having one of his recent nightmares. This caused the man to first of all show concern for Cloud.

"N-no … don't … take o-off … my clothes …" Cloud moaned in his sleep, his face sweating tensely.

The man's concerned expression then turned into a straight up scheming smile. He trod up closer to Cloud's bed, flexing his shoulders to ease the joints in his arms.

"Heh heh … don't you worry, Cloud. I'll save you from your nightmare." The man assured the oblivious sleeping Cloud, chuckling with what he had prepared.

He loomed over Cloud's bed, clicking the joints in his body to ready himself for what he had up his sleeve. Just then, he grasped his right bicep and gripped it tightly, tensing the bicep in the process. He raised his arm to show off a 90˚ angle, his eyes locked onto the oblivious Cloud. With legs spread out slightly and showing off some victory stance, the man drew in a deep, calm breath.

"Time for the good old …" The man began calmly and peacefully. And then, like a spark, the man's tone of voice abruptly changed from sweet and calm to loud and monstrous. "… ELBOW DROP!"

The man leapt high in the air, almost reaching the ceiling of the bedroom, and armed for a vital point on Cloud's body … but not too vital. With his elbow pointing out and eyes locked on target, the man struck his target at full force … colliding his elbow against Cloud's abdomen. Instantly, Cloud woke up from his nightmare in the most painful and abrupt, feeling the man's elbow collide against his abdomen. It caused the shocked Cloud to have the air in his lungs get completely knocked out of him, his tearful eyes pointing up to the ceiling as though they were about to pop out of their sockets. With that, Cloud hastily wrapped his arms around his abdomen in agony, rolled across and off of his bed, and collided against the floor with a loud crash. Cloud began to roll around on the floor in the foetal position, gasping and wheezing for air to get back into his lungs. A shadow then suddenly loomed over him, causing Cloud to struggle gazing up to notice the culprit towering over him. Suddenly, a hysterical, loud and menacing laughter echoed throughout the room as the man towering Cloud crossed his arms in triumph.

"HAHAHAH! Now THAT is the way people should be woken up!" The man chuckled hysterically, unable to calm down.

Cloud raised his body up slightly, pain surging through his body, and had been able to call out underneath his gasps and wheezes. "Why did you … have to do that … Zack!?"

"Ah, so you're still able to say my name? Haha, I feel so honoured!" Zack jokingly chuckled, still in his playful mood.

Zack Fair was Cloud's best friend and fellow housemate in their rented two-bedroomed apartment. He had long, spikey jet-black hair with his bangs/fringe parting both ways, and bright-blue mako eyes. He stood at a tall 6ft 3in, slightly towering over Cloud who stood at 5ft 7in. Whilst Cloud had been a student of Dissidia Academy, Zack had already finished his time as a student a few years back and now worked full-time as a SOLDIER 2nd Class as part of Shina Electric Power Company in the city not far from the Academy. As demonstrated, Zack has a playful, energetic and easy-going personality; but when on SOLDIER missions, he is constantly determined and serious in hopes of someday finally gaining his 1st Class rank and a certain dream he has kept with him since before becoming a student at the Academy.

Even with all of this, Zack does have a caring side to him for Cloud and their friends.

Zack held out his hand towards Cloud to help him to his feet, in which Cloud accepts. Although able to breathe again, Cloud still felt the agony from his abdomen as he rose to his feet with the help from Zack.

"You didn't need to … elbow me in the gut." Cloud wheezed painfully, soothing his abdomen and he stretched out.

"What are you talking about? You should be thanking me. I did just save you from another one of your nightmares, after all." Zack cheerfully pointed out.

With what Zack had stated, Cloud recollected back to how the nightmares began, sighing at the thought of it. Ever since the incident with the fan girls on the first day back at the Academy, they have begun to take over his dreams, tormenting him to no end. His most recent dream from a moment ago had in fact been an earlier, sweeter flashback from that same day … that had been so until the fan girls took over the dream. Cloud began to wonder when these series of nightmares were going to finally end. Zack noticed instantly by Cloud's worried face, knowing he had been tormented by this situation. After a long, thoughtful silence; Zack gave out a relieving sigh, causing Cloud to gaze towards him with confusion.

"Standing around here isn't going to get us anywhere." Zack chuckled, lightly placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "We have places to go and stuff to do."

With that, Zack turned and headed towards the bedroom door, flexing out his elbow that he used to wake Cloud up with. Just before he left the room, he halted himself and turned his head slightly in Cloud's direction.

"Hurry up and get ready, dude. Breakfast is ready downstairs." He called out cheerfully, giving out a positive atmosphere.

Cloud's confused frown turned into a grateful smile, nodding to Zack coolly.

Cloud began to munch down on a slice of toast eagerly, only just realising how hungry he had been. He then took no time to consume his hash browns and strips of bacon. As Cloud continued to eat; Zack gazed towards him with staggered eyes, amazed by Cloud's sudden desire to consume ALL the food on the table.

"Since when did you become such a … glutton?" Zack wondered oddly, wide eyes locked onto Cloud as he had still been unable to believe Cloud's ridiculous hunger.

Realising that he completely forgot about it; Zack began to sip his cooled-down morning coffee, waking himself up properly so he would be ready for his missions at SOLDIER. Cloud finally finished all of the food on the table, indicating he was full with a small burp.

"It's weird, I don't even know why I'm this hungry." Cloud innocently admitted, embarrassed by his sudden urge for food.

"Well, for now, I'm just thankful that I ate my breakfast before waking you up." Zack laughed awkwardly, placing down his cup of coffee.

Cloud began to sip his own coffee, feeling the refreshing taste revive his energy. Ever since he collapsed from over-tiredness during Homeroom, Cloud has always made sure he drank a cup of coffee before heading to the Academy in the morning or when Tidus calls for him during ridiculous times in the night. He then checked the clock on the kitchen wall; 7:15am. Zack and Cloud's kitchen had been small and simple, consisting of the essential equipment for making and storing food they would need during their day. Cloud wasn't fussed about how large his living space had been, as long as it was comfortable. He took no time to drink his coffee and placed it back down on the table without a drop left, feeling reenergized. Abruptly, Zack snapped his fingers out of the blue as though a small light bulb clicked on in his mind, causing Cloud to switch towards his direction cautiously.

"Oh! I just remembered; you have Geography today, don't you?" Zack stated ecstatically, his face beaming with rising excitement.

"Yeah … why do you ask?" Cloud answered with a very cautious mind-set, not knowing where this would be leading considering it was Zack.

"Well starting today … Sephiroth will be tutoring your lessons. He announced a few days ago that he would be taking a break from his SOLDIER 1st class job for a few weeks." Zack leapt up to his feet, a cheerful smile strapped across his face.

Cloud gazed at him with blank eyes for a moment, as though the news Zack had told him had still been registering in his mind. Cloud then snapped with sudden surprise, not knowing whether to be excited about this news or confused by why this had been happening.

As stated by Zack, Sephiroth was a top ranked SOLDIER 1st Class and considered to be a hero and role-model to Shina, the city and Dissidia Academy itself. Ever since Zack joined SOLDIER, he had been constantly trying to catch up to Sephiroth's level so that he would gain his everlasting dream of becoming a hero. Cloud had been all for having Sephiroth as a teacher, but a part of his mind seemed to be cautious of the idea. Then something came to his mind through his own curiosity.

"Why would Sephiroth wish to take a break from SOLDIER?" Cloud wondered curiously, finishing off another coffee in thought, "What does he hope to gain out of this?"

"I don't know, he just stated that he desired to pursue other projects for the time being." Zack answered back, scratching his head as he attempted to remember back to when this had been announced. Zack leant back as he searched through his mind for more. "He never actually gave detail of what or why he was doing it."

Cloud nodded thoughtfully, eyes dipping and silently finishing off his second coffee. A small chuckle from Zack's direction caused Cloud to once again raise his eyes with curiousness whilst still sipping the drink.

"Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention … I've got myself a date." Zack announced to him, showing off a cheesy smile.

Within a miniscule second, Cloud spat out in shock, spraying coffee all over the table. Zack swiftly braced himself so that he wouldn't be struck by the projectile coffee.

"You!? A date!?" Cloud spat out in shock, coffee dripping from his chin. "What 'poor' soul would accept a blockheaded fool like you?"

"Ouch, no need to be so harsh!" Zack drew back; feeling insulted by Cloud's statement, but then brushed it away easily. "All I'll say for now is that she's sweet and cute."

After swiftly cleaning himself up, Cloud squinted towards him, examining him intently as if he had been hiding something.

"… Is it Cissnei?" He then asked out tensely, eyes locked onto Zack like daggers across the table.

"Huh..? Cissnei!? Nooooo … No no, it isn't her." Zack shook his head, looking somewhat disappointed for some reason. "You know how many times I got turned down by her, seeing as she prefers to concentrate with her Turk work."

Cloud silently smiled, he knew exactly how many times Cissnei turned down Zack: 17 times in the space of 4 years. The fact that Zack tried to pursue her after each time had been beyond him. But now the idea of Zack successfully dating a new girl interested Cloud greatly, but he needed more information about this girl in order to have an idea of how their relationship is going to unfold.

"Seriously though, I need more than just 'sweet' and 'cute'." Cloud stated in a stern tone, not letting this pass so easily. "It would be good to know about how you two met and more about her 'qualities'."

"Ahah … all in good time, my friend." Zack teased cheekily, pressing a finger against the side of his nose to indicate that he had been keeping it a secret.

Cloud shrugged his arms whist he rolled his eyes, feeling the whole idea had been pointless. Zack showed off a cheesy and innocent smile, knowing that it had all been fun and games for them in the end. But, he did want to make sure that the girl he had been dating would be a decent surprise for Cloud. Just then, a 'Victory Fanfare' tune began to ring around the kitchen, causing both Cloud and Zack to jump with fright. Zack hastily grasped his ringing phone and answered it straight away, rising up from his seat.

"Hello, Zack here." Zack responded openly and positively, listening carefully to the other end of the mobile phone. "Ah! Hey there Director! … U-huh, yep … ok, I'll be right over."

Cloud heard him hang up the phone and began to collect his belonging and SOLDIER blade; a simple sword with the Shinra emblem on it.

"Are you heading out already?" Cloud wondered curiously, rising from his own seat.

"Yep, duty calls!" Zack cheerfully chanted out, placing his weapon against the metallic magnet on the back of his SOLDIER uniform. The blade instantly joint up against the magnet with ease, no loose movement whatsoever unless Zack forced it apart. "The Director wants me to lead a mission with Angeal to Wutai straight away, something to do with them holding mass anti-Shinra weaponry of some kind."

Cloud nodded curiously; interested in this new upcoming mission Zack had to work with. Zack has always talked highly about his mentor SOLDIER 1st Class Angeal; although Cloud had never actually met him in real life as of yet. In terms of the Wutai stronghold, Cloud new from various articles in newspapers and online that they have recently threatened to attack Shinra and other opposing forces due to their strong hatred for the companies practices.

"Be careful when your over there, ok?" Cloud warned him protectively, knowing Zack had the tendency to go overboard with his missions at times.

"I always am." Zack stated proudly, heading towards the front door.

As he trod over towards the door; he did not notice the archway above him, causing him to smack his forehead hard against it. "Ack!" Zack hastily rubbed his head, feeling a bump form on his forehead. Cloud attempted to hold back the laughter, finding the situation ironic. Zack hastily switched to his direction, awkwardly smiling as his face burned up red with sudden embarrassment.

"Like I said, I always am careful!" He reminded hastily, trying not to act like an idiot.

Cloud nodded sarcastically; a large, sympathetic smile strapped across his face as he continued to hold back his laughter. Zack hurried to the front door and began to twist it open, feeling the warm autumn breeze brush against him. Before he left, Zack gave one last call out back towards Cloud, not switching to him directly but held up a hand in acknowledgement.

"Hey Cloud; maybe if this mission succeeds, I'll finally be promoted to 1st Class." Zack called out in hope, clenching his raised fist positively.

"It wouldn't hurt to be hopeful." Cloud smiled back, keeping up with Zack's optimistic atmosphere.

Zack fist-pumped upwards as he nodded with hopeful eyes, feeling that Cloud has his back. He drew in a deep, meaningful breath and stepped outside into the morning Sun. "Ok, see ya later, Dude!" Zack finally waved, running off into the distance. Cloud just heard a "Say 'hi' to Sephiroth for me!" before he disappeared completely.

Cloud began to ready himself to head towards the Academy, swiftly recollecting Zack's dream of becoming a hero. Even though Sephiroth had been a hero and inspiration for Shinra and the city, Cloud never really acknowledged him as an inspiration. That had been due to the fact that he appreciated Zack as his inspiration; finding him to be his best friend, older brother, and even his hero.

"… So he's finally got himself a date!" Tidus loudly bellowed out in surprise; acting his usual loud, over-the-top self.

The time was 8:40am and Class 13A began to gather in the usual Homeroom, waking themselves up from their drowsy state and continuing to chat to each other about the usual gossip. Firion, Cecil, and Tidus sat around Cloud's desk, chilling out with Cloud before Professor Shantotto entered to begin Homeroom. Cloud had explained to them about Zack's new 'mystery' girl, knowing that they would kick up a fuss if he kept this a secret. Reactions were as follows: Firion had a very surprised expression on his face, although he accepted it wholeheartedly; Cecil had nodded to himself with a light glimmer shining in his eyes, liking the idea of a 'mystery' romance; Tidus had leapt up with complete shock, completely not expecting the fact that Zack had finally been able to 'bag' a girl.

"So, do you know who the girl is?" Firion wondered curiously, leaning against the table in front casually.

"No. He didn't slip any detail of who she is or how they actually met; all he said was that she's 'sweet' and 'cute'." Cloud admitted with slight frustration, crossing his arms. "Talk about 'overkilling' the surprise."

"I think it's glorious; the idea of having a couple love each other in secret whilst those close to them unravel the mystery makes my heart burn with passion." Cecil proudly stated to the group, acting as though his eyes burned brightly with that idea.

Firion, Tidus, and Cloud glared towards Cecil awkwardly, all 3 of them knowing full well how much of a romanticist Cecil can be.

"Yeah … keep dreaming, lover maniac." Tidus commented under his breath, glaring with bored-looking eyes. He then swiftly whipped back to facing Cloud with sudden eager eyes, "I suggest we jump on him, force him to spill the beans!"

"There's a slight problem with that proposition: we're just Academy students with barely any experience of such physical activity whilst Zack's a full blown SOLDIER operative, he'll turn the tables on us before we even make the move on him." Firion butted into Tidus' idea, stating exactly what Cloud had been thinking except in more contexts and slightly exaggerated.

"How about we tail him whenever he is caught off-guard, learn what we can from the shadows." Cecil then suggested, having more of a secretive approach.

"If he catches us, he'll list us as stalkers and it'll be game over." Tidus argued, not particularly enjoying the idea of being caught in the act.

"Guys, we're talking about my best-friend here. He not the serious 'I'll wipe your memory if you find out' type guy, there isn't any need to go so far." Cloud cut in, feeling the whole situation unnecessary. "Besides, I'm not going to stalk or force Zack into admitting something he wants to surprise us with. When he decides to spill it to us, I'll be there waiting patiently for who it is."

With that, Cloud rose from his own seat and decided to go grab a coffee from the machine, feeling that he had time to go grab a cup before Professor Shantotto would begin Homeroom. He passed Onion Knight and Terra on his right who were chatting away with each other as they usually do, and Warrior of Light who had been patiently sitting on his desk with a book in his hand. But before Cloud could head out the door, a small phrase escaped from Tidus' mouth that put him completely off-guard and froze his movement.

"You're boring as usual, Cloud." Tidus commented; a small, scheming smirk appeared on his face.

Firion and Cecil followed the pattern with their own comments.

"How disappointing, it would have been quite fun." Firion admitted bluntly, trying to keep a straight face.

"So the 'mysterious' romance will forever stay a secret." Cecil stated lowly, dipping his head down to hide his face behind his long silver hair.

Veins began to appear around Clouds face as his anger and frustration began to rise in a swift pace. He took in a deep breath and turned back round to the other three, knowing this would be such a pain.

"Fine, I'll play your little 'game'. But, if we're going to tail him then we'll have to wait till he gets back from his mission in Wutai." Cloud stated in a serious tone, attempting to hide his frustration. "And we'll have to be extra careful; Zack tends to catch on to anything very quickly."

Tidus nodded cheerfully to Firion and Cecil, feeling rather victorious from convincing Cloud to change his mind.

"No need to worry about that, Cloud." Tidus smiled confidently, ideas forming in his mind. "We'll have that sorted out in no time."

Cloud nodded cautiously, knowing Tidus would state such a thing which in turn worried him more. He hastily left the Homeroom to grab his coffee realising that there wouldn't be much time left till Professor Shantotto would begin.

At 12:25pm, time moved swiftly towards the Lunch-break, although some of the Academy students felt it had been running too slowly. Cloud sat patiently in his seat as his Maths lesson began to draw to a close. The teacher of the subject had been a very stuck up yet intelligent man who referred himself as 'The Emperor', stating to the whole of Class 13A that he ruled the whole of the subject Maths and desiring to dominate all academic subjects. Firion told Cloud before the lesson began that he personally despised The Emporer to no end, saying something about them having intellectual conflicts against each other countless times in the past. And now Cloud could see why; The Emperor had to be the most BORING teacher he had ever had to tolerate in lesson. His way of teaching the subject literally drove most of the class to sleep, only to be woken up abruptly by a ruler aimed to the head. Cloud, surprisingly, had been able to keep himself awake throughout most of the lesson, only dropping his head slightly a few times. In fact, it had been only Cloud, Warrior of Light, Onion Knight, and Terra who had kept themselves awake throughout the lesson: Warrior of Light and Onion Knight were mainly focused with competing against each other in a rival battle of wits, whilst Terra tried to keep herself awake in caution that she wouldn't be smacked by the ruler. Currently, Cloud began to feel pleased that the lesson had been drawing to a close, but he had also been patient about Lunch-break and what followed. The reason for this being that he would have to try and hide in fear from the mass of fan girls that were hunting him down and that right after Lunch-break he would be sitting in a Geography lesson taken by Sephiroth. Speaking of Sephiroth; Cloud had not caught sight of him throughout the whole day, wondering if he'll actually turn up for the lesson that he'll teach or not. And why teach Geography? What had been so special about that particular subject? Cloud's mind rattled around with those thoughts and questions throughout the whole of the lesson, trying to come up with theories and answers.

Just then, the bell that indicated Lunch-break finally rang loudly throughout the corridors of Dissidia Academy, to everyone's pleasure. The Emperor finished up on his dismal lecture and allowed everyone to leave for their Lunch. Cloud swiftly packed up his belongings and slung his backpack over his shoulders. Before he left, he met up with Firion, who had been most relieved that he could finally be released from the torture for a Maths Lesson; and Cecil, who drowsily shook his head to wake himself back up completely. Cloud turned over to Tidus' desk, where he had caught sight of him fast asleep leaning back on his chair. A sudden and cheeky idea crossed Cloud's mind during that point, feeling that it would be pay-back for the lack of sleep from the first day of the Academy. He instantly knelt down to the legs of Tidus' leaning chair and pushed them upwards, tipping Tidus obliviously off his balance. The moment Tidus collided against the classroom floor, he abruptly leapt to his feet with the most confused and frightened expression on his face.

"Who!? Wha-!? I wasn't asleep!" Tidus yelled out, his loud voice echoing through the classroom.

The whole of Class 13A gazed upon him awkwardly, eyes staring towards his direction as though he had completely lost his sanity. Tidus blushed with embarrassment, feeling this whole situation had been awkward. He then began to hear uncontrollable laughter originating from Cloud's direction, where he caught sight of Cloud clutching his stomach in pain as he tried to calm himself down. He had been crying with laughter, finding the whole situation hysterical. After a moment where his mind processed the situation, he decided to rub it off and laugh with Cloud.

Cloud cautiously peeked round the corner of Dissidia Academy's building, checking for any signs of the fan girls. The other three had to go their separate ways due to errands and jobs they needed to pursue: Tidus had Blitzball practice with his father who was also Class 13A's sports coach; Firion had errands with the Student Council with Warrior of Light and Onion Knight; and Cecil had been summoned to his brother's office due to upcoming events of some kind. This had meant that Cloud had been left to fend for himself, something he hadn't been very keen on. After several moments of examining the area, Cloud released a sigh of relief. Ever since the fan girl incident, he had always needed to be constantly wary of wherever he headed to, hoping highly that he wouldn't have a repeat of the trauma. But the moment Cloud began to make his move for lunch, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Cloud leapt out of his skin in fright and doubled back with paranoia, bracing himself with eyes tightly shut for what he expected to happen next.

"Erm … Is something the matter, Cloud?" a light, pure voice wondered curiously, drawn back by Cloud's unexpected reaction.

Cloud's eyes cautiously flickered open upon hearing the familiar voice, realising that it hadn't been anyone involved in the mass of fan girls. As his eyesight became clear, his heartbeat calmed to the point the point of relax. Who stood before him had been the only female student in his class: Terra Branford. She gazed towards Cloud oddly, wondering why he had been acting like so. Cloud hastily brushed away his paranoia and smiled towards her, hiding away anything relating to his fear.

"It's nothing. I was just caught off-guard, that's all." Cloud admitted shyly, chuckling awkwardly.

"Right … well, seeing as Onion Knight is on an errand, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind joining me for lunch." Terra wondered innocently, silently giggling due to Cloud's odd act.

"Yeah, sure. Why not." Cloud nodded towards her, although his eyes still carefully analysed his surroundings just in case any of the fan girls appeared.

Cloud and Terra trod around the Academy grounds to find a place to have their lunch, making small talk with each other as they walked on. The Academy grounds had been packed with students socialising and eating their lunches together due to the strong climate and positive atmosphere. Both Cloud and Terra began to feel irritated after a while with the amount of Academy students taking up most of the available sitting space on the grounds. After a while of searching, they finally found a free bench towards the other side of the building to sit on. They began to cross the entrance of the Academy towards the bench, happy to be able to rest themselves in the pleasant heat of the Sun. But as they closed in towards the bench, something caught the corner of Cloud's eye that caused him to halt his movement. Terra instantly noticed Cloud halt to a stop and stopped herself to wonder what had caught his attention. She followed his eyesight curiously to notice that his attention had been drawn towards the Entrance Gate of Dissidia Academy.

Standing there were two people deep in conversation: one had been a female student whilst the other had been a slightly older male who didn't go to the Academy. The man had taken out some sort of present from a plastic bag he had been holding and showed it to the female student, giving out a meaningful smile. The female student cheerfully clapped her hands, showing her appreciation towards the man. The present had been a pink silk hair-ribbon, woven with care and meaning. The man offered to tie the ribbon around the female student's long brown hair, in which she had accepted gratefully. The ribbon seemed to have suited the female student perfectly, holding her hair up gracefully and neatly. The female student then wrapped her arms around the man with affection, showing gratitude and love for him.

"Aww, how sweet." Terra cheerfully spoke out, placing her hands together softly as she watched the couple embrace joyfully.

"Yeah …" Cloud murmured in response, completely lost for words, "… sweet."

When he first caught sight of the couple, it took him a while to adjust his eyes as the sun had blinded him whilst it hovered over the two. But once they had adjusted, Clouds heart leaped up in shock. He knew those two. The man stood at a tall height, a strong posture and broad body, he wore SOLDIER 2nd Class uniform and had his jet-black hair spiked up with his bangs parting to the sides. It had been his best friend, Zack Fair, who stood upon the Entrance Gate of Dissidia Academy. It seemed that he had been able to finish off his mission in Wutai earlier than Cloud had expected, although it seemed that he returned with a few injuries inflicted from the mission.

But what made Cloud's heart jump the most had been the girl who embraced him, certainly being the girl Zack had currently been dating. With the hair-ribbon tied around; her long, chocolate-brown, well-maintained hair drew back elegantly into a braided pony-tail. She had a smooth, natural skin and body of an angel. She wore the same Dissidia Academy uniform as every other female student but stood out gracefully amongst many of the students in the Academy. Cloud knew straight away who the girl had been: she had been the Assistant Nurse who had tended him when he woke up in the Medical Room: Aerith Gainsborough.


End file.
